How do you know which sea kayak is best for you? It all depends on what you want to do – if you are into big adventures or silent sunsets. Learn how dimensions and design choices impact the kayak’s speed, stability and maneuverability and find out what design best suits your needs.
Speed and length of a sea kayak are closely connected. The longer the sea kayak the more energy can be built up between paddle strokes. And that increases both speed and tracking. A longer kayak is therefore better suited to long stretches of straight ahead paddling and longer trips in general. A short kayak on the other hand often has a more pronounced rocker and is much easier to maneuver, which is also a great advantage in bigger waves.
We mentioned the term “rocker earlier”. In the world of kayaking it’s a common term that you may have heard of. And if not, don’t worry – it’s quite easily explained. In short the rocker is the upward curve at each end of the kayak. And why does this matter?
Since each end of the kayak is not pointing that much up – more of the hull will be submerged in water when you are paddling. In other words, it has a long waterline. And since a bigger part of the hull is in the water at all times, a kayak with no or little rocker, can maintain a lot of energy between your paddle strokes. That is why a sea kayak with a long waterline is very fast. It also means that it is easier to maintain a straight line – “it tracks well” in kayak terminology.
The kayak at the top has a low rocker. That means a faster kayak that tracks well. A more pronounced rocker – as the bottom kayak shows – means a slower kayak but also a kayak that is easier to maneuver.
A kayak with a pronounced rocker has a shorter waterline since each end curves up and out of the water. This makes it a lot easier to maneuver because there is less resistance when you turn it to either side.
A narrow sea kayak is faster than a wide one. That is the simple truth. And that is because the amount of water that needs to be displaced is bigger when the kayak is wide. A wide kayak is on the other hand more stable since the combined area of balance is much larger.
When paddling forward your kayak meets water, and pushes it aside. The wider the kayak the more water it needs to move and that slows you down.
If you are new to paddling a wide kayak might appeal the most to you, but with just a few hours of paddling your mind and body will adjust – and you will soon want to trade that initial safe feeling into more speed. So the secret is to think a bit ahead when choosing: Where would I like to be skill-wise in the nearest future. Also remember that sea kayaks in general are quite stable.
Since it narrows to a point at both ends the hull shape varies quite a bit throughout the length of a kayak. The area just underneath the cockpit is where the hull shape has the biggest impact on both speed and stability. You may notice that the shape of that area also varies quite a bit. The hull shape has a big impact on speed and stability.
The height of a sea kayak is important for many reasons, but is often neglected. In fact a few centimeters can make a big difference. Consider that everything above water level is impacted by wind. So the higher your kayak is the more sensitive it is to wind. The height also impacts comfort and stability.
A is the front deck and B is the rear deck. The lower the two are the less sensitive to wind your kayak is. Between the two is the cockpit.
If the kayak is too high in front of the cockpit you need to raise your arms a little higher to avoid bumping against the hull when paddling. That raises your center of gravity and makes you less stable. Paddling for a long time with arms raised high will also tire you faster.
When doing a rescue you pull yourself out of the water and onto the rear deck. Every centimeter extra makes the rescue harder and more strenious – so for safety avoid a kayak with a high rear deck.
However in some cases you will want a more voluminous front. For surf and waves you need more space to move in the cockpit and also some extra buoyancy. And you will surely get that from a bit of extra volume. But if you don’t have that particular need it is better to avoid kayaks with a high front and rear deck.
All of the above taken into consideration what kayak from our range will then suit you best? To make it easier to choose the right one all our kayaks take their starting point in the needs of you as a paddler – so here is our recommendation:
If you are new to the game or wish to own a great allround sea kayak, we recommend Unplugged. In the design we have focused on creating a perfect balance between speed and stability. We have achieved this by designing a kayak with medium dimensions (length, width and rocker) and chosen a shallow-v hull. The hull shape has the additional advantage that it is perfect for practicing and improving skill if you are new to paddling.
If you are up for the longer trips and want speed, Endless is the perfect choice. Endless has a long, slim design and round hull making it and ultra fast kayak. The seat has extra comfort for longer tours and large oval hatches makes it easy to pack you gear.
If you are up for playing in the waves or nerding out your technical skills you want a really maneuverable sea kayak. Our newest model Awesome is pretty awesome for play. I is short with larger rocker making it super easy to maneuver and take you out into the bigger waves. Awesome is also a great choice for kayak instructors.
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